Can't get my little giant incubator to heat above 37.0 c

[Angiecast]

Hi everyone! I am new here and this is the first time I'm hatching goose eggs, or any other eggs for that matter. I purchased the Joele 12 before I got my eggs so I would have it ready. Well, when I received my eggs, the sabastopol eggs were giant in comparison to the pilgrim eggs. I received 10 eggs total. So...obviously they wouldn't all fit in my incubator. I had to go and buy another one in a hurry. I bout the little giant 9300 at a feed store. It has been the most hardest thing ever to get it to the right temperature! The directions said that if you are not using the egg turner then the temperature needed to be higher because of the different in where the eggs would be. Okay...I got a theremometer (several) and was finally able to keep the temperature at 37.0c.
My question is, will my eggs be okay at that temperature? Also, they are huge compared to the pilgrim eggs. Is that normal? I didn't think sabastopol geese were that big?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My house temp was too cold to get my first bator up to temp... I was given the suggestion to add blankets as insulators, making sure not to cover the vent holes. It worked great and I've never looked back.

The turners will produce some heat. Which makes it important to move your eggs to a new location inside the bator EVERY day to help ensure even development of the embryos and keep your hatching frame close... this is true EVEN inside forced air bators, temp variances happen.

My guess about what they mean about where the difference in the eggs would be... is that the temp is measured at the top level of the eggs since that is where the development takes place. When you lay them down they may be lower than their bator sensor is set for?

I don't know what temp duck eggs require... I would work to get it right... cuz temp is way more important than humidity and a couple degrees can be the difference between life and death. Chicks (or whatever) that hatch late will be weaker than ones that hatch on time.

If your room temp varies, set it at the warmest part of the day and let it drift down.

I never imagined, in the beginning that I would need space to incubate more than a dozen eggs... Now, I have TWO 48 ish egg bators and a 96 egg bator!

Hope your hatch goes well!

 

[Angiecast]

Thank you! I already have a towel covering the incubator.

 

[Angiecast]

IMG_6088

• Angiecast
• Apr 5, 2018
• 1

IMG_6088

• Angiecast
• Apr 5, 2018
• 1

What does this mean? Six out of ten eggs are like this...is it because they were shipped? Does this mean they are not going to develope?

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Thank you! I already have a towel covering the incubator.

DO NOT COVER THE VENT HOLES ON THE DIGITAL CONTROLLER.. It will burn up the the control. It costs about $10 plus shipping from Little Giant for a new brain.. but I would be more worried about a fire hazard if your oven is not on a surge strip or GFCI outlet.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

 

[Angiecast]

DO NOT COVER THE VENT HOLES ON THE DIGITAL CONTROLLER.. It will burn up the the control. It costs about $10 plus shipping from Little Giant for a new brain.. but I would be more worried about a fire hazard if your oven is not on a surge strip or GFCI outlet.
View attachment 1325830
PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

 

[Angiecast]

Wow...thank you for letting me know!

 

[aart]

Okay...I got a theremometer (several) and was finally able to keep the temperature at 37.0c.

Did you calibrate your thermometers?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...incubator-thermometers-and-hygrometers.73634/

Looks like maybe the air cells are 'loose(can't remember the correct term),
did you let the eggs set upright for a day or so before putting in the bator?
@WVduckchick knows the proper terms and procedures for shipped egg issues.

 

[WVduckchick]

Hi! Sorry you are having trouble with the LG. It's a pretty common problem with them.

The candling pic does look like the air cell is loose, because of being shipped. The more they get shaken in the mail, the worse they may be. Some get "saddled" with a droop down two sides, some get "loose" and the air cell just moves a little, then some get totally "detached" and float all over the egg.
The air cell is a pocket between the inner membrane and the outer membrane. The shaking during shipping causes it to shift around the egg.
So, can't tell from the picture how much the air cell moves.

The best way to treat them is to sit them in an egg carton, with the fat end up, and don't turn them for a couple days. If they sit still, sometimes the membrane will reattach.

I think geese eggs can be incubated at a bit lower temp, but let's ask @Pyxis because I could be wrong about that.

 

[Pyxis]

I think geese eggs can be incubated at a bit lower temp, but let's ask @Pyxis because I could be wrong about that.

Yes, slightly lower, at around 37.3 works well for them.

Are those the Pilgrim eggs in that picture you posted? If so, is that just a large flashlight? I ask because you said the sebastopol eggs were 'giant' in comparison to the Pilgrim eggs. That shouldn't be the case, because Pilgrims are the same size or slightly bigger than Sebastopols, so their eggs shouldn't be tiny in comparison - they should be around the same size. That picture you posted is striking me more as a duck egg than a goose egg, which is why I'm concerned. I just hope you didn't get sent the wrong kind of eggs. Even my tufted Roman eggs, which are the smallest breed of goose, are bigger than it looks like those eggs are.

Can you post a picture comparing the two types of eggs?